Fairview Cemetery Advisory Board Meeting

City of Bastrop Cemetery Advisory Board Meeting August 23, 2012 4:00 p.m. City Hall Council Chambers 1311 Chestnut Street Bastrop, Texas 78602 I. Call to Order. Chairperson Terry Sanders called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. Board members in attendance were Carl Spooner, Ted Schaefer, Mary Williams and Jerry Woehl. Staff members attending the meeting were Karla Stovall and Zana Jones. Board member Joel Reed was not present. II. Announcements. Carl Spooner announced that the fence located along the east side of Goldenrod is leaning over and needs repair. Karla Stovall will inform Trey Job, Director of Public Works, about the fence. III. Discussion and possible action on the Cemetery Advisory Board’s July 26, 2012 minutes. (pages 1-3) Carl Spooner moved to approve the July 26, 2012 minutes as written, seconded by Mary Williams and carried unanimously. IV. Discussion and possible action on Grant Funds that the Historical Society has for the Fairview Cemetery. Item was tabled at the January 26, 2012, April 26, 2012, May 24, 2012 and July 26, 2012 meetings. (page 4) Terry Sanders said the Historical Society is still proposing that the funds be used for a memorial honoring the Bastrop police officer that was killed in the line of duty back in the 1800’s; he also said that he believes there is a national recognition for fallen peace officers in the spring and maybe the memorial could coincide with that. He tabled the discussion until a later date when a representative from the Historical Society could be present to discuss the funds. V. Discussion and acceptance of Fiscal Year 2013 budget. Karla Stovall presented the Fiscal Year 2013 budget. Karla also informed the Board that the second reading of the ordinance to amend Ordinance 2010-27 is on the August 28, 2012 City Council meeting agenda and that she didn’t foresee any issues with it being approved. Terry Sanders questioned the “estimated fund balance” reported in the Permanent Fund budget report. Karla explained that the balance shown is after the transfer of the $185,266.25 to the Operating Fund. She also explained that the funds transferred from the Cemetery Association would remain untouched in the “Permanent Care” fund and only the interest earned from those certificates of deposit would be used for care of the Cemetery. Karla told the Board that no land purchase or appraisal costs were built into the Fiscal Year 2013 budget, so if needed, she will amend the budget. She also suggested that the Board may want to look at increasing the cost of cemetery lots or charging other fees in the future to help cover operation costs. Ted Schaefer moved to accept the Fiscal Year budget, seconded by Jerry Woehl and approved unanimously. VI. Discussion and possible action on the Cemetery Grounds Care and Maintenance Contract. Karla Stovall reported that Forrest Chalmers submitted his quote of $2,911.00 per one complete mowing for the next contract year, which is still lower than the quote received from another contractor in 2008. Terry Sanders asked how Forrest Chalmers know when to mow or does he just go and mow on his own. Karla explained that Forrest Chalmers contacts her department to coordinate the mowings. Carl Spooner moved to accept Forrest Chalmers’ quote for the Cemetery Grounds Care and Maintenance Contract for the period October 1, 2012 through September 30, 2013. VII. Discussion and possible action on determining the size, eligibility for use, developing rules and regulations for operation of the Memorial Section. Item was tabled at the July 26, 2012 meeting. (pages 5-10) Terry Sanders led the discussion on ideas provided by the Board members to develop the basic guidelines for operations of the Memorial Section. Karla Stovall stated that she and her staff will put the Board consensus items into a draft form and present them to Legal for review before the next meeting. Following are the items to be included: 1. Parameters for inclusion in Memorial Section. a.) Someone whom is known to be buried in the cemetery but their gravesite cannot be located in the Cemetery and/or Cemetery records. b.) Board must approve the placement of all memorials. 2. Fees for placing memorial will be determined by the Board. 3. Size of memorial space will be 2 ½ feet wide x 3 feet long. 4. Proximity between memorials will be 3 feet. 5. Permitting requirements will be consistent with those of the City for the Cemetery. 6. Size of the memorial headstone will be 2 ½ feet wide x 1 ½ feet long. 7. Ornamentation will be consistent with current City policies. 8. Spaces will be administered sequentially. 9. No remains of any form are to be buried in the Memorial Section. 10. Any request for placement in the Memorial Section not covered by these rules and regulations must be submitted to the Board for approval VIII. Discussion and possible action on report back from City Manager Mike Talbot regarding the appraisal of two tracks of land along State Highway 95 that adjoin cemetery properties on which he is in negotiations with the owner; and as to whether he identified properties for sale on the north side of Cedar Street. Item was tabled at the July 26, 2012 meeting. Item was tabled until the next meeting since Mike Talbot was unable to attend. IX. Public Comment. [ Note: By law, the Board cannot include undertake discussion or take any action on Public Comments received at the meeting, but can: (1) recite Board/City policy on the points raised and/or (2) place items on upcoming agenda for both discussion and action at that upcoming meeting.] There were no public comments. X. Discussion and possible action on setting dates and times for next Cemetery Advisory Board meeting(s). After discussion, the next meeting was set for October 18, 2012 at 4:00 p.m. XI. Discussion and possible action to determine if there are any items a Board Member would like to place on an upcoming Agenda. No items were mentioned. XII. Adjourn. Mary Williams moved to adjourn the meeting at 4:45 p.m., seconded by Jerry Woehl and carried unanimously. APPROVED: ATTESTED: ________________________________ _______________________________ Terry Sanders, Chairperson Mary Williams, Secretary